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- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Header
-
-
- Affiliation:
- (commonwealth associated with the US)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Geography
-
-
- Location:
- Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
- east of the Dominican Republic
- Map references:
- Central America and the Caribbean
- Area:
- total area:
- 9,104 sq km
- land area:
- 8,959 sq km
- comparative area:
- slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
- Land boundaries:
- 0 km
- Coastline:
- 501 km
- Maritime claims:
- exclusive economic zone:
- 200 nm
- territorial sea:
- 12 nm
- International disputes:
- none
- Climate:
- tropical marine, mild, little seasonal temperature variation
- Terrain:
- mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to
- sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas
- Natural resources:
- some copper and nickel, potential for onshore and offshore crude oil
- Land use:
- arable land:
- 8%
- permanent crops:
- 9%
- meadows and pastures:
- 41%
- forest and woodland:
- 20%
- other:
- 22%
- Irrigated land:
- 390 sq km (1989 est.)
- Environment:
- current issues:
- the recent drought has caused water levels in reservoirs to drop and
- prompted water rationing for more than one-half of the population
- natural hazards:
- periodic droughts
- international agreements:
- NA
- Note:
- important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the
- Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the
- Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well
- watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 3,812,569 (July 1995 est.)
- Age structure:
- 0-14 years:
- 25% (female 466,596; male 489,127)
- 15-64 years:
- 65% (female 1,274,765; male 1,195,785)
- 65 years and over:
- 10% (female 213,716; male 172,580) (July 1995 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 0.16% (1995 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 15.92 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Death rate:
- 7.47 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- -6.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 75.1 years
- male:
- 70.78 years
- female:
- 79.66 years (1995 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 1.98 children born/woman (1995 est.)
- Nationality:
- noun:
- Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
- adjective:
- Puerto Rican
- Ethnic divisions:
- Hispanic
- Religions:
- Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant denominations and other 15%
- Languages:
- Spanish, English
- Literacy:
- age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
- total population:
- 89%
- male:
- 90%
- female:
- 88%
- Labor force:
- 1.2 million (1993)
- by occupation:
- government 22%, manufacturing 17%, trade 20%, construction 6%,
- communications and transportation 5%, other 30% (1993)
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Government
-
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
- conventional short form:
- Puerto Rico
- Digraph:
- RQ
- Type:
- commonwealth associated with the US
- Capital:
- San Juan
- Administrative divisions:
- none (commonwealth associated with the US); note - there are 78
- municipalities
- Independence:
- none (commonwealth associated with the US)
- National holiday:
- US Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
- Constitution:
- ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25
- July 1952
- Legal system:
- based on Spanish civil code
- Suffrage:
- 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do
- not vote in US presidential elections
- Executive branch:
- chief of state:
- President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President
- Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993)
- head of government:
- Governor Pedro ROSSELLO (since 2 January 1993); election last held 3
- November 1992 (next to be held 5 November 1996); results - Pedro ROSSELLO
- (PNP) 50%, Victoria MUNOZ (PPD) 46%, Fernando MARTIN (PIP) 4%
- Legislative branch:
- bicameral Legislative Assembly
- Senate:
- elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 5 November 1996);
- results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (29 total) PNP 20, PPD 8, PIP
- 1
- House of Representatives:
- elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1996);
- results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (53 total) PNP 36, PPD 16,
- PIP 1
- US House of Representatives:
- elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 5 November 1996);
- results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) PNP 1 (Carlos
- Romero BARCELO); note - Puerto Rico elects one representative to the US
- House of Representatives
- Judicial branch:
- Supreme Court, Superior Courts, Municipal Courts
- Political parties and leaders:
- National Republican Party of Puerto Rico, Luis FERRE; Popular Democratic
- Party (PPD), Hector ACEVEDO; New Progressive Party (PNP), Pedro ROSSELLO;
- Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP) has been disbanded (1994); Puerto Rican
- Independence Party (PIP), Ruben BERRIOS Martinez; Puerto Rican Communist
- Party (PCP), leader(s) unknown
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Government
- Other political or pressure groups:
- Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican
- Revolution; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros); Armed
- Forces of Popular Resistance
- Member of:
- CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL
- (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate), WTO (associate)
- Diplomatic representation in US:
- none (commonwealth associated with the US)
- US diplomatic representation:
- none (commonwealth associated with the US)
- Flag:
- five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white;
- a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large white
- five-pointed star in the center; design based on the US flag
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Economy
-
-
- Overview:
- Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region.
- Industry has surpassed agriculture as the primary sector of economic
- activity and income. Encouraged by duty free access to the US and by tax
- incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s.
- US minimum wage laws apply. Important industries include pharmaceuticals,
- electronics, textiles, petrochemicals, and processed foods. Sugar production
- has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main
- source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been
- an important source of income for the island, with estimated arrivals of
- nearly 3.9 million tourists in 1993.
- National product:
- GDP - purchasing power parity - $26.8 billion (1994 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- 2.6% (1994 est.)
- National product per capita:
- $7,050 (1994 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 2.9% (1994)
- Unemployment rate:
- 16% (1994)
- Budget:
- revenues:
- $5.1 billion
- expenditures:
- $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95)
- Exports:
- $21.8 billion (1994)
- commodities:
- pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage
- concentrates, medical equipment, instruments
- partners:
- US 86.2% (1993)
- Imports:
- $16.7 billion (1994)
- commodities:
- chemicals, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products
- partners:
- US 69.2% (1993)
- External debt:
- $NA
- Industrial production:
- growth rate 5% (1994 est.)
- Electricity:
- capacity:
- 4.230,000 kW
- production:
- 15.6 billion kWh
- consumption per capita:
- 3,819 kWh (1993)
- Industries:
- manufacturing accounts for 39.4% of GDP; manufacturing of pharmaceuticals,
- electronics, apparel, food products, instruments; tourism
- Agriculture:
- accounts for only 3% of labor force and just over 1% of GDP; crops -
- sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock - cattle,
- chickens; imports a large share of food needs (1993)
- Economic aid:
- none
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Economy
- Currency:
- 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
- Exchange rates:
- US currency is used
- Fiscal year:
- 1 July - 30 June
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Transportation
-
-
- Railroads:
- total:
- 96 km rural narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; note - no passenger
- railroads
- Highways:
- 13,762 km
- paved:
- 13,762 km (1982)
- Ports:
- Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Playa de Ponce, San Juan
- Merchant marine:
- none
- Airports:
- total:
- 31
- with paved runways over 3,047 m:
- 3
- with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
- 3
- with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
- 9
- with paved runways under 914 m:
- 14
- with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
- 2
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Communications
-
-
- Telephone system:
- NA telephones; modern system, integrated with that of the US by high
- capacity submarine cable and INTELSAT with high-speed data capability;
- digital telephone system with about 1 million lines; cellular telephone
- service (1990)
- local:
- NA
- intercity:
- NA
- international:
- 1 INTELSAT earth station and submarine cable
- Radio:
- broadcast stations:
- AM 50, FM 63, shortwave 0
- radios:
- NA
- Television:
- broadcast stations:
- 9; note - cable television available with US programs (1990)
- televisions:
- NA
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Puerto Rico
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Branches:
- paramilitary National Guard, Police Force
- Note:
- defense is the responsibility of the US
-